Random Interstellar Empires/Star Kingdoms

[SolCannibal]

Thought of bringing it back as a possible opportunity to expand a bit on the Duchy and its colonies.


Maybe also a good time a pirate band-star nation-minion race idea of mine as a monkeywrench of sorts in the already problematic political climate....

Oh yeah, the Jihad's wolfpacking its neighbors is a definite hotspot/brushfire. Somebody like the TGE or the CCW(if it's feeling grouchy) would roll over them in a matter of days, but against the little pocket polities of the Rim, the Jihad's a substantial pain in the ass, especially if they're willing to work with other groups to cause trouble.

Or someone to causing trouble by riffing on their troubles, because now both sides are kind of limping and anyone can see.

On a related note, I'm compiling a list of all the 'sectors' I mention...
I'll probably start listing the worlds I've mentioned in each eventually, but that will take some time(going over each and every Network Omni News report for info including planet names, affiliations, and organizations...I created a LOT of one-offs I should get around to indexing and consolidating), so tee list will come out first.

This will help with giving homeworlds to any 'new' species I create whole-cloth, and if possible save some trouble coming up with new polities/worlds for them.

That's some invaluable but definitely painstaking work to do.

Face it, somebody REALLY spiked the punchbowl in the Three Galaxies with so many habitable worlds and sophont species coming out to play at the same time.

And what makes things so entertaining to watch when one is above all the fighting/shooting, or has minimal stakes on any resulting drama at least.

[taalismn]

Well, I'm about a fifth of the way chewing through the old NON posts for sector data. not counting un-indexed planets with no sector(just a galaxy, if even that, listed)...and I'm finding a LOT of things, places, organizations I'll probably be called on later...

[SolCannibal]

Well, I'm about a fifth of the way chewing through the old NON posts for sector data. not counting un-indexed planets with no sector(just a galaxy, if even that, listed)...and I'm finding a LOT of things, places, organizations I'll probably be called on later...

Good luck with that, should be great to see the results.

After some thinking, decided the fan races thread might be the place to throw the guys i've been tinkering with as a complication in the path of the Jihad and Duchy both.

[taalismn]

After some thinking, decided the fan races thread might be the place to throw the guys I've been tinkering with.

And that gives ME something to look forward to, beyond finishing the 100+ little posting projects scattered across my computer hard drive files.

[taalismn]

Toschov----Darkport( Thundercloud Galaxy)
@( I am well satisfied with the selection you have presented me with, Bondage Master. I shall take them all.)@
There was a shriek of dismay as the import of those broadcast thoughts registered to somebody. Then the screaming began in earnest along with anguished pleading and more...liquid...sounds. Trejah Kamarov took no notice of the slap of a flailing hand at the lip of the pit just before his feet. He was too busy calculating how much this would add to his personal coffers, after the family cut.
The screams of the naked slaves in the pit reached a crescendo as they were sucked under the mantle of the giant Vulsug. Minutes later the conical mass of the gastropoid alien intelligence began to slither out of the arena, its upper tiers ringed by a necklace of glassy spheres, each containing a quiscent human form trapped in an anguished moment of struggle.
Kamarov was already making his way out of the sales arena himself; the Dolgar Sisters were scheduled to land soon and they always had an interesting selection of living merchandise they’d picked up in their wanderings. Trejah knew of a few other preferred clients who were looking for assembled sets, and he wanted to get a headstart on making those up for sale.

Toschov is a darkport world, a former Human Alliance colony settled during the Great Diaspora following the Automaton Wars, Settled in haste by those eager to escape the settling pains of the post-war HA and what they saw as the usurpation of power by the colonial governments that had fought the war, the original Toschov expeditions did what they could to NOT encourage anybody to follow them. Toschov almost immediately ran into trouble with a failure to provide follow-up sponsored resupply. To support themselves, the Toschovans began gouging other colonial expeditions that stumbled across them and stopped to resupply, by levying steep prices for services and materials. When that wasn’t enough, the Toschovans turned to outright seizing visiting ships. In time, many of the initial colony expeditions that discovered Toschov and were robbed by them(but allowed to move on) forgot all about that little backwater outpost of chisellers, while later expeditions that weren’t allowed to leave, never had the chance to report on what was happening on Toschov. The planet effectively became only known through old star charts and rumor.
Toschov began a backslide into lawlessness, catering to a litany of increasingly more lawless elements until ultimately culminating in becoming a refuge for a Dark Coven and its increasingly monstrous allies.
Today, Toschov is a corrupt cauldron of vice, villainy, and profiteering. It is a known transshipment point for slavers, contraband, and looted merchandise.
The ruling Kamarov Family doesn’t care about the slavers and the eldritch horrors visiting. They see themselves as doing a service to their people by keeping them safe and prosperous.

Toschov is a hardscrabble world. A combination of its rotation being tidally locked so one side always faces the planet’s sun and a thick barely-breathable atmosphere make it almost inhospitable to human life. Nevertheless, it has a large amount of surface water and supports a thin ecosystem, possibly as a result of an ancient terraforming effort. Life lives between two extremes; boiling heat on its sunward side, and freezing cold on its night side. The most comfortable(for terrestrial baseline humans) region is the twilight zone.
Yoscev, the main city and port, is located on the edge of the planet’s north pole. Smaller communities are strung out along the planet’s twilight zone, or with decreasing size and density into the brutal sun and shadow zones.
While, arguably, many of the creatures visiting Toschov could take it over, the thought barely crosses their minds. Frankly, it would be too much trouble running the place, it would be regarded as a violation of neutrality, and finally, many of the alien clientele of the planet regard the Kamarov clan as amusing. Even the Splugorth regard Toschov as a useful semi-independent operator in the slaver and piracy networks. Three of the extended Kamarov clan members are Pact-Witches.
Recently, slave miners discovered large deposits of the magic PPE-storing mineral Xanthine. The Kamarovs have been able to identify the mineral and its great value, but have not yet publicly revealed its existence on Toschov, for fear that some of their more powerful clientele may see it as an excuse to try directly taking control of the planet. For now, the Kamarov clan is keeping the Xanthine deposits as a trump card, covertly mining it(a death sentence for the slaves mining it) and slowly trickling quantities through the planet’s marketplace at high prices.
Though powers like the CCW and TGE know of the planet now, there’s currently little interest of yet in doing something about it, as it still lies outside their jurisdictions. There’s also the matter that the Kamarovs have invested a good chunk of their ill-gotten profits in defenses; besides a potent set of planetside antispacecraft batteries, the planet is protected by the Kamarovs’ elite Darklight Guard, armed with a combination of Kittani-made and Naruni gear, and several mercenary units beholding to the Kamarovs.
Despite its many hardships, in many ways Toschov can be considered a survival story success, and that’s the line the Kamarovs laud to their subjects.

Solar System(Charma 361)
Number of Stars: 1
Types of Stars: Blue Sub-Giant
Number of Planets: 3
-Asteroid(Yiemens) --- Yiemens is a Ceres-sized rock orbiting close to Charma 361. As if the slave camps on Toschov, the Kamarovs set up an extra-special prison on the asteroid. In order to escape the occasional solar storms that wash over the asteroid, inmates have to dig deep into Yiemens’ core, cutting into the metal-rich interior. Worse, bad solar weather means that resupply ships can’t always approach, so there’s the danger of starvation or asphyxiation for the prisoners. The Kamarovs generally reserve sentencing to Yiemens for captured CAF officers and former political rivals like the Selmen, Dragetti and Borcha families.

-Terrestrial(Toschov)---System lifeworld

-Gas Giant(Nvet) ---Large gas giant. The Kamarovs have recently, with Kittani assistance, established a gas mining operation based on one of Nvet’s three moons. The base is currently overseen by one of the older Kamarov children.

Planet(Toschov)
Toschov is rotationally locked; one side of it is locked facing the sun, so one hemisphere is perpetually in punishing sunlit day and the other locked in eternal cold night. The habitable zone is a twilight band between the two.
There is evidence that Toschov was deliberately seeded with life sometime in the distant past, along with some terraforming efforts, but little remains to identify who was the responsible party. The recent discovery of exploitable deposits of Xanthine may provide a clue as to why the planet was developed.

Type:Terrestrial
Diameter: 13,000 km
Gravity: 1.2 g
Temperature: Hot( degrees F) at the noon meridian equator, tampering down to tropical in the twilight zone, and finally Freezing( degrees F) in the Shadow zone’s Eternal Midnight Spot.
Unusual/Special Features:
-Craters----Toschov looks like it was used as a cosmic punching bag, what with the large number of visible impact craters pocking its surface.
-Locked Rotation----The same side of the planet is locked facing its sun. Aside from a ‘seasonal’ perturbation of 2 degrees, the rotation is fixed.
Atmosphere:
Dense, and barely breathable. The atmosphere-modification towers and algae-seeder plants keep the air breathable around the various communities.
Terrain: Unusual Geology----Toschov possesses large deposits of Xanthine.
Notable Mineral Concentrations:
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Cobalt
- Antimony
- Fluorite
- Barite
- Arsenic
- Salt
- Xanthine
Hydrosphere:
Roughly 80% of the planet’s surface could be covered in water---but that on sunside is boiling to steam and that on shadowside is freezing solid.
Biosphere:
Toschov possesses a thin native ecosystem of extremophile lichens, molds, and algae. The highest lifeforms are several species of marine arthropods, copapod and shrimp analogs.
Civilization:
Settled
Population:
19 million(48% Humans, 18% Wolfen, 15% Kittani, 24% other). There’s typically about 1-2 million transients at any given time.
Technology:
Galactic, for the most part. The Kamarovs have leveraged their contacts to supply their planet with enough industrial hardware to provide for a 20th century standard of life for most citizen-residents, and a lavish Galactic lifestyle for its upper class.
Economy:
Nominally, it’s agriculture, but its real money comes from trade and services, Xanthine mining is the Kamarovs’ secret ace in the hole.
Wealth:
Rich; life on Toschov is very good if you’re among those profiting from the galactic trade. However, the economic divide is a deep one; most Toschovans live on the borderline of poverty, and get by only by dint of the largesse of the top 5%.
Government:
Was a Syndricacy, but is now effectively an aristocracy bordering on Monarchy, with the Kamarovs as the anointed royal family.
Law Level:
Authoritarian--Make no mistake; the Kamarovs are in charge and you will not do anything to threaten their authority. That includes embarrassing their leadership in front of their important allies. There are plenty of venues and occasions where and when the citizenry can flout the laws and really cut loose(and not all of them require spending money), so you can’t complain about the Kamarovs not looking out for you. Happiness is mandatory, because things could be a LOT worse. Generally punishments involve a stint at a Sunshine- or Shadow-work site, the worse the infraction the longer the stunt and the further the work site is into their respective zones. A terminal sentence might involve being staked outside in the Hot Spot to burn to death or the Midnight Spot to freeze solid for the entertainment of the resort tourists. If you’re really unlucky and healthy enough to make the grade, you might end up being sold to the offworlders.
Popularity:
Ambivalent---There are those who virtually worship the Kamarovs and those who despise them(including a few secret remaining descendants of the Puchon, Tolov, and Dragetti clans who previously ran Toschov, before the Kamarovs ousted them). The majority of Toschovans, however, are just going along for the ride, seeing how far the gravy train takes them before it wrecks.
Stability:
Dynastic; the Kamarovs have been running things for the last four hundred years, after wiping out the competition. Each successive generation of Kamarovs start out apprenticing under an older family member, then move on to some minor administration post like running one of the auction houses or mining outposts, gaining experience, before moving up to more important positions. Though Kamarovs have been known to fail and even die in these positions, in general, others make way for them, fearing retribution or attempting to curry favor with the people who run Toschov.

[Omegasgundam]

A dime-a-dozen pit of scum and villainy that keeps the underworld economy going. The mineral strike is going to bring it all crashing down sooner or later, but the question is by who. The 'Forces of Justice', or at least the more organized ones, have incentive to do a throughout investigation before they bring the hammer down, and the deposit is easy leverage to get more powerful polities interested. The UWW, USA, and SSN all have their own uses for Xanthine, so it'll be a matter of party preference.

Unless the nasties get wind of it. Then its going to be a mess.

[taalismn]

A dime-a-dozen pit of scum and villainy that keeps the underworld economy going. The mineral strike is going to bring it all crashing down sooner or later, but the question is by who. The 'Forces of Justice', or at least the more organized ones, have incentive to do a throughout investigation before they bring the hammer down, and the deposit is easy leverage to get more powerful polities interested. The UWW, USA, and SSN all have their own uses for Xanthine, so it'll be a matter of party preference.

Unless the nasties get wind of it. Then its going to be a mess.

Ponzi schemes, pirate bands, dynastic organized crime organizations....somebody's going to get sloppy, somebody's going to get greedy. somebody's going to feel cut out....and the gravy train's going to be derailed...

[SolCannibal]

A dime-a-dozen pit of scum and villainy that keeps the underworld economy going. The mineral strike is going to bring it all crashing down sooner or later, but the question is by who. The 'Forces of Justice', or at least the more organized ones, have incentive to do a throughout investigation before they bring the hammer down, and the deposit is easy leverage to get more powerful polities interested. The UWW, USA, and SSN all have their own uses for Xanthine, so it'll be a matter of party preference.

Unless the nasties get wind of it. Then its going to be a mess.

Ponzi schemes, pirate bands, dynastic organized crime organizations....somebody's going to get sloppy, somebody's going to get greedy. somebody's going to feel cut out....and the gravy train's going to be derailed...

They painted themselves in a corner and can't even see it - their rulers broke even generations ago and completely missed the oportunity to relocate to a better system, where they would have more resources and opportunities beyond the dynastic criminal outfit that they have.

They brag about riches while ignoring the fact much more successful criminal enterprises are run in worlds that are very much open ports and in the (supposedly) up and up with the law. They confuse a manchild's dream of power free to abuse and of unnacountability with success, power and security of a true state, where not everybody is out to eventually take your place. Toschov is a sorry joke that is missed by the one's telling it.

[taalismn]

Toschov as a world itself is a miracle that could be a really nice place in the hands of a less ambitious and harder-working society, but the settlers decided to cling to certain old expectations of lifestyles and got stuck in the 'ends justify the means' pattern of supporting those lifestyles.

Take away the current Toschovians and substitute a different set of settlers who might see the out-of-the-way location of the planet and the environment as a welcome challenge, and the planet might be prosperous on its own and a real garden spot in its sector.

I'm half-tempted to create an alternate 'what if?' version of Toschov with a different set of settlers who, who knows, might have started using the xanthine to modify their environment into some wonderful.
And, given the extradimensional nature of both the USA and Rifts? An alternate universe mirror-image version of Toschov might not be so implausible....

[SolCannibal]

Toschov as a world itself is a miracle that could be a really nice place in the hands of a less ambitious and harder-working society, but the settlers decided to cling to certain old expectations of lifestyles and got stuck in the 'ends justify the means' pattern of supporting those lifestyles.

Ambitious? No, i don't really think so. Were their leaders truly ambitious, their people might have turned into something like the Indrel Khonate or Dadalane Jihad. Even the Lucim Imperium down on its luck is still greater than they are. The Toschovians are possessed of entitlement and small-time greed, looking for the shortest path to a certain degree of comfort & affluence, poaching from others wherever expedient.

Take away the current Toschovians and substitute a different set of settlers who might see the out-of-the-way location of the planet and the environment as a welcome challenge, and the planet might be prosperous on its own and a real garden spot in its sector.

Even if one does not care for the challenge, a group with more vision and planning might have done better than the Toschovians who, when finally hitting a big score, can't effectivelly explore it because they are affraid of alerting a hundred associates, inside and outside, that might rip them apart like a pack of rabid jackals upon smelling the opportunity. Their gravy train rides on bubbles instead of rails and is bound to pop sooner or later.

I'm half-tempted to create an alternate 'what if?' version of Toschov with a different set of settlers who, who knows, might have started using the xanthine to modify their environment into some wonderful.
And, given the extradimensional nature of both the USA and Rifts? An alternate universe mirror-image version of Toschov might not be so implausible....

Why not just make a world where the colonists, human, wulfen, noro, a mix of these or something else altogether, were smarter or at least less egotistical in their hardscrabble path to development and then found their own xanthine veins?
Thundercloud is a very big place, lots of colonial fleets half-forgotten or not and worlds for them to occupy, develop and find spectacular surprises upon.

[taalismn]

Why not just make a world where the colonists, human, wulfen, noro, a mix of these or something else altogether, were smarter or at least less egotistical in their hardscrabble path to development and then found their own xanthine veins?
Thundercloud is a very big place, lots of colonial fleets half-forgotten or not and worlds for them to occupy, develop and find spectacular surprises upon.

Because what are the chances of a similar rotational-locked world, with a borderline breathable atmosphere, scant ecosystem, but ample water AND xanthine deposits occuring in the Three Galaxies? Even with the limited choices presented by the random roll charts, I'm not that comfortable.
("Hey, this is the eighth world with a figure-eight solar orbit, six checkerboard moons, rubberoid surface, neon-pink atmosphere, and cotton-candy vegetation we've passed in this arm....anybody beginning to think there's a pattern here?")
Now I'd already done a somewhat similar habitable 'twilight zone' world where a Shemarrian tribe had settled, and was now fighting a demonic invasion for control(I believe there was a mineral element involved there too).
But I guess the gist of the exercise of an alternate Toschov is...does the environment make the society, or does the society determine the environment?
Ah yes, THAT question.

"We're not bad because we grew up in a rotten hellish environment, we're bad because we're ******** to the bone."

[SolCannibal]

Why not just make a world where the colonists, human, wulfen, noro, a mix of these or something else altogether, were smarter or at least less egotistical in their hardscrabble path to development and then found their own xanthine veins?
Thundercloud is a very big place, lots of colonial fleets half-forgotten or not and worlds for them to occupy, develop and find spectacular surprises upon.

Because what are the chances of a similar rotational-locked world, with a borderline breathable atmosphere, scant ecosystem, but ample water AND xanthine deposits occuring in the Three Galaxies? Even with the limited choices presented by the random roll charts, I'm not that comfortable.

Well, that's the beauty of dealing with hundreds of billions of star systems per galaxy. A 1 in a million world means a hundreds of thousands of samples in just one. The challenge is in being the lucky bastard to score one of them.

("Hey, this is the eighth world with a figure-eight solar orbit, six checkerboard moons, rubberoid surface, neon-pink atmosphere, and cotton-candy vegetation we've passed in this arm....anybody beginning to think there's a pattern here?")

Now I'd already done a somewhat similar habitable 'twilight zone' world where a Shemarrian tribe had settled, and was now fighting a demonic invasion for control(I believe there was a mineral element involved there too).

"God does not play dice....unless they are loaded."

But I guess the gist of the exercise of an alternate Toschov is...does the environment make the society, or does the society determine the environment?
Ah yes, THAT question.

"We're not bad because we grew up in a rotten hellish environment, we're bad because we're ******** to the bone."

Very much this - but then i'd say the Tochovians history already answers that back in the beginning, with the whole "stealing and enslaving other colonial expeditions" instead of leaving to find better places - like, by their own admitance, some of their original marks from back then did.

[ShadowLogan]

("Hey, this is the eighth world with a figure-eight solar orbit, six checkerboard moons, rubberoid surface, neon-pink atmosphere, and cotton-candy vegetation we've passed in this arm....anybody beginning to think there's a pattern here?")

Proof that the 3Gs are home to a Magrathea clone(s) at some point?

[SolCannibal]

("Hey, this is the eighth world with a figure-eight solar orbit, six checkerboard moons, rubberoid surface, neon-pink atmosphere, and cotton-candy vegetation we've passed in this arm....anybody beginning to think there's a pattern here?")

Proof that the 3Gs are home to a Magrathea clone(s) at some point?

Nah, just Megaverse Builder(tm) passing by doing some world-building.

[taalismn]

(The Xronohate’s appeared twice in the Shemarrian thread, but in passing, so here’s some attention to them)

Xronohate (Thundercloud Galaxy)
“Make no mistake, the Xronohatans are fanatics. Happy fanatics, it’s true, but fanatics nevertheless. They’ll readily sacrifice their own people to gain advantage or cover their mistakes, and call it all good in the spirit of their ancestors and their unnamed time-gods. And they aren’t shy about trying to convert you to their beliefs; any time you try dealing with them, it has to be by THEIR schedules and their time periods, that generally make no sense with regards to the local conditions. That means that whle your first meeting with a Xronohatan merchant might be a a reasonable local hour like mid-morning, the second and third meetings might take place after local midnight, allowing for Xronohatan mandated prayer and relaxation periods. And they won’t budge on it.”

The Xronohate is an aggressive militant Human-dominated star-polity in the Thundercloud Galaxy. The Xronohate is a theological-militocracy particularly obsessed with imposing order through a convoluted code of standardized time(they are sometimes known as the Xenochronate) that frankly baffles outsiders, but which may have something to do with the early Xronohate‘s discovery of alien technology and/or unique properties in the region of space they control. The Xronohate has a history of bullying their neighbors and responding with aggression to any (real or imagined) provocation.
Besides their eight worlds, the Xronohate has established a number of large asteroid-fortress/colonies through their space. These massive outposts serve as naval bases, sensor stations, and declarations of territorial occupation.
The Xronohate borders EShemarrian space in the Thundercloud, and the two star nations have skirmished on several occasions. The most notable instance was when the EShemar supported a revolt of one of the Xronohate’s asteroid fortresses and successfully fended off several Xronohate battlefleets long enough to completely evacuate the colony-fortress. It isn’t clear if the EShemar then scuttled the fortress or the Xronohate, despite the fortress’s importance, destroyed it themselves(or were tricked into doing it). In any event, the Xronohate is less than pleased that the ‘heretics’ escaped, and that a group of ‘outworld barbarians’ successfully resisted them, as it has encouraged other neighboring worlds to resist Xronohate influences.

A. Size
Modest---8 star systems
B. History
Offshoot of the Human Alliance that came to the Thundercloud Galaxy to carve out their own empire. Their obsession with time may have come later from influences they encountered in their new home, but readings of early Xronohate philosophy suggest that they have long tied standards of time to social engineering.
C. Level of Technological Sophistication
Advanced Space Age, with particularly advanced military technology. There’s also been some rumors of the Xronohate possessing Temporal Raider-level chrono-technology. Reports of exotic weapons such as devices to accelerate entropy in targets, induce fatal stasis aboard manned vessels, manipulate the perception of time in victims, and temporarily increase the speed and response of Xronohate warships by altering their timeframe have surfaced as having been used in ‘police actions’ within their sphere. However, almost all of these devics seem to carry some danegrous flaw or side effect, unless performed under ideal space/time conditions....this lends credence to the idea that the Xronohate is attempting to manipulate the conditions of time and space in their territories to maximize the effectiveness of their chrono-technology.
D. General Attitude/Culture
Warrior Society----The Xronohate has a socialist state style setup of various caste-classes of workers, administrators, and soldiers, with those with both military training/experience and religious approval being favored.
E. Racial Composition
93% Human, 7% other. While not overtly xenophobic, the Xronohate tends to regard non-humans as heretics or barbarians unless they convert/subscribe to the Xronohate philosophies or standards. A notable exception is Temporal Raiders; the Xronohate LOATHES Temporal Raiders(and by extension most Temporal Magic-users) and one of their military’s top protocols is to shoot them on sight.
F. Government
Theological Militocracy--- the Xronohate is governed by warrior-priests who prove themselves through military and political discipline and moral-religious purity. This often involves rooting out heresy in the resgions they are responsible for. However, with the socialist spirit of their society, even the warrior-priests can be brought low if they do not remain faithful to the chrono-codes and social purity tests.
G. Administrative Control
Draconian----Xronohate priest-commissars keep tabs on the populace and miilitary ranks. Those who violate the law can face demotion in the social ranks, or sentencing to a penal unit in the military. Repeat offenders can face the death penalty.
H. External Trade
Luxury Goods-----Rather than dealing in strategic materials as a whole, the Xronohate seems to do some token trading with the bigger star-nations in luxury goods. The Xronohate has entire social castes of workers and craftsmen who can be assigned by the government to focus on creating high-class/quality luxury items(or reasonably good copies) for trade.
H1. Commodities
Exports: Raw Materials(organics)---The Xronohate exports a good deal of vat-grown vegetable proteins and food stock, mainly considered by the larger and more advanced polities to be low-end cheap fodder that brings little in the larger markets, but which can be invaluable to struggling rim-worlds. Though the Xronohate hasn’t yet weaponized these nutrient exports, most analysts agree that the Xronohate is using them to influence those low-economy worlds that buy them up(and in some cases are becoming dependent on them).
Imports: Raw Materials(organics)---The Xronohate is just as busy importing foodstuffs and biomass, presumably to keep the productivity of their agro-processes.
I. Status
Until very recently, the Xronohate has been enjoying an expansionist Boom period, pausing occasionally to consolidate their holdings and build strategic asteroid fortresses. They have been capturing a larger share of the nutrient-trade in the low-income worlds of their region.
However, the recent defeats of the Xronohate’s military forces at the hands of the Shemarrian Star Nation have caused a pause in the expansion. Now facing a much larger threat and more robust resistance than they’re previously faced, the Xronohate is scrambling to regain its footing.
There’s some suggestion that the Xronohate’s massive asteroid fortresses may play some role in affecting local space/time as part of a long-term project to create a region of manipulated space/time to some reason, and the recent loss of the fortress occupied by the EShemar has jeopardized the greater plan.

[SolCannibal]

C. Level of Technological Sophistication
Advanced Space Age, with particularly advanced military technology. There’s also been some rumors of the Xronohate possessing Temporal Raider-level chrono-technology. Reports of exotic weapons such as devices to accelerate entropy in targets, induce fatal stasis aboard manned vessels, manipulate the perception of time in victims, and temporarily increase the speed and response of Xronohate warships by altering their timeframe have surfaced as having been used in ‘police actions’ within their sphere. However, almost all of these devics seem to carry some danegrous flaw or side effect, unless performed under ideal space/time conditions....this lends credence to the idea that the Xronohate is attempting to manipulate the conditions of time and space in their territories to maximize the effectiveness of their chrono-technology.
E. Racial Composition
93% Human, 7% other. While not overtly xenophobic, the Xronohate tends to regard non-humans as heretics or barbarians unless they convert/subscribe to the Xronohate philosophies or standards. A notable exception is Temporal Raiders; the Xronohate LOATHES Temporal Raiders(and by extension most Temporal Magic-users) and one of their military’s top protocols is to shoot them on sight.
I. Status
There’s some suggestion that the Xronohate’s massive asteroid fortresses may play some role in affecting local space/time as part of a long-term project to create a region of manipulated space/time to some reason, and the recent loss of the fortress occupied by the EShemar has jeopardized the greater plan.

The moment some Temporal Wizards or Raiders notice those guys and decide to set up a big posse to check up on what is it exactly those weirdoes have so much against them, i suspect the Xronohate will be beyond boned.

[SolCannibal]

Just noticed a little something missing that i felt the need to bring up.

Toschov----Darkport( Thundercloud Galaxy)

Population:
19 million (48% Humans, 18% ????, 15% Kittani, 24% other). There’s typically about 1-2 million transients at any given time.

So, who would the second group, that composes about 18% of the system's population, be?

Also, impressively large portion of Kittani, doubly so for a non-Splugorth dominated place.
I can see some groups, both local and in Splugorth kingdoms, being a little leery of this.

[taalismn]

Just noticed a little something missing that i felt the need to bring up.

Toschov----Darkport( Thundercloud Galaxy)

Population:
19 million (48% Humans, 18% ????, 15% Kittani, 24% other). There’s typically about 1-2 million transients at any given time.

So, who would the second group, that composes about 18% of the system's population, be?

Also, impressively large portion of Kittani, doubly so for a non-Splugorth dominated place.
I can see some groups, both local and in Splugorth kingdoms, being a little leery of this.

h, you caught one of my proofreading mistakes.

And yah, that Kittani minority should have the Toschovans quite worried.
As you said, these folks have the potentil to be seriously boned with the right triggers.

[SolCannibal]

Just noticed a little something missing that i felt the need to bring up.

Toschov----Darkport( Thundercloud Galaxy)

Population:
19 million (48% Humans, 18% ????, 15% Kittani, 24% other). There’s typically about 1-2 million transients at any given time.

So, who would the second group, that composes about 18% of the system's population, be?

Also, impressively large portion of Kittani, doubly so for a non-Splugorth dominated place.
I can see some groups, both local and in Splugorth kingdoms, being a little leery of this.

h, you caught one of my proofreading mistakes.

And yah, that Kittani minority should have the Toschovans quite worried.
As you said, these folks have the potentil to be seriously boned with the right triggers.

Indeed, all kinds of potential for trouble - and now i'm really curious if those Kittani come from any one Splugorth kingdom, multiple local "embassies" & baazars or are some kind of rogue/splinter autonomous community-ghetto of their own. Also, good luck in remembering or coimng up with someone to fit those 18% bracket.

[taalismn]

[
Also, good luck in remembering or coimng up with someone to fit those 18% bracket.

[/quote][/quote]

Random roll as soon as I'm able.

[SolCannibal]

Also, good luck in remembering or coimng up with someone to fit those 18% bracket.

Random roll as soon as I'm able.

You just made me remember i owe myself a dozen of rolls or two to finish up a "monster kingdom" of Calgary escapees in my archives from before the Africa campaign, oh boy...

[taalismn]

You just made me remember i owe myself a dozen of rolls or two to finish up a "monster kingdom" of Calgary escapees in my archives from before the Africa campaign, oh boy...

Remember; unlike Pandora, you CAN close that box again if you don't like what you let out.
As long as nobody saw your roll....

[SolCannibal]

You just made me remember i owe myself a dozen of rolls or two to finish up a "monster kingdom" of Calgary escapees in my archives from before the Africa campaign, oh boy...

Remember; unlike Pandora, you CAN close that box again if you don't like what you let out.
As long as nobody saw your roll....

Truth be told, the rolls were already done. It's in putting together the 40+ custom/variant races, brought to Earth through random rifts from a hundred different worlds, that's where the real headache is.

[taalismn]

[

Truth be told, the rolls were already done. It's in putting together the 40+ custom/variant races, brought to Earth through random rifts from a hundred different worlds, that's where the real headache is.

Ah, the headaches of being a creator-GOD.

[SolCannibal]

[

Truth be told, the rolls were already done. It's in putting together the 40+ custom/variant races, brought to Earth through random rifts from a hundred different worlds, that's where the real headache is.

Ah, the headaches of being a creator-GOD.

One day i'll get that mess of sketch notes file into something resembling order and a location/scenario (Probably in another four years, if i go at it in the same non-rythm as present.... )

[taalismn]

[

One day I'll get that mess of sketch notes file into something resembling order and a location/scenario (Probably in another four years, if i go at it in the same non-rythm as present.... )

Don't worry about it...I've been worrying at the task of presenting an entire galactic civilization with over two dozen separate intelligent species that I dreamed up back starting in elementary school and have only seriously been trying to make them game-playable in the last 20 years.

One day I'll drift back to the files holding them and discover that my a-little-here-and-there-every-once-in-a-while will have finally reached critical mass and they'll finally be post-worthy(probably when I'm in a retirement home and everybody's long since lost interest in tabletop RPGing....but I hope not).

[Borast]

Taalismn...was reading, and noted the folowing:
Planet(Toschov)
Toschov is rotationally locked; one side of it is locked facing the sun, so one hemisphere is perpetually in punishing sunlit day and the other locked in eternal cold night. The habitable zone is a twilight band between the two.

Have read a couple of books where this type of planet was the background for the story. In one, the Hero was doing everything he could to escape from the planet, because the planet was not *quite* tidelocked yet...and when it was, the City would be a couple hundred klicks beyond the terminator...and almost fully exposed to the sun. (And fatal to anyone living there...)

Fun and all, but from what I've read, a tidelocked planet like that would probably end-up with most of the planet's original atmosphere and (if any) hydrosphere frozen solid on the night side.
However, feel free to ignore the interruption of reality!

[taalismn]

I know of three rotationally locked worlds in fiction...One was Mercury in a Larry Niven short story, with cryogenic life being the fiction element, another was in Glen Cook's 'Starfishers' trilogy, in the appropriately titled 'Shadowline'....there everybody wore armored spacesuits, so atmosphere wasn't an issue, and the last was the world in Roger Zelazney's 'Jack of Shadows'...but as the last was a world divided between a high-tech side and a magic side, the whole thing could be blamed on superscience-cum-supermagic.

[taalismn]

Allied Monstrous Races Association
Not so much an organized polity as a ‘club’ of worlds dominated by ‘monstrous’ species that generally find most other species tasty. Has been variously associated with the Splugorth domains and the Infernals. The AMRA offers various tips on best prospects for conquest and raiding, and their Medical organization issues warnings on possible health hazards(‘Don’t eat the purple-skinned humanoids; they contain dangerous levels of dribazone’). The AMRA are involved in a number of pirate groups dominated by monstrous races.

Edowa Commonwealth(Thundercloud)
An eight-world strong start-up mutual support association based in the Semec Sector. The EC is led by the Edowans, a divergent cultural sept of Humankind that split from the Human Alliance over a century ago. Like many such organizations in the region, the Edowa Commonwealth is finding its hands full and its resources stretched dealing with the many problems cropping up in the largely unexplored and unsecured Thundercloud Galaxy.

Badlands Confederation(Thundercloud)
A Rim-fringe coalition of fifteen systems, led mainly by Belters, and extent in the Dershaun Sector of the Thundercloud Galaxy. Though they consider themselves independent, many of the worlds in the BC still have ties to their founding worlds/cultures. They offer mutual protection and transport services to members, though the Badlands ‘navy’ consists of an irregular collection of third-tier warships and armed commercial craft. There has been some talk of merging with the United Systems Alliance, but for now the bad-bitten independents of the Badlands stubbornly hold on to their own pride and identity, seeing ‘selling out’ to ANYBODY to be a betrayl of their ideals.

Helmorid Confederacy(Corkscrew Galaxy)(Defunct)
An early opponent of the Ancient Wolfen Empire before the TGE takeover. The Helmorid Confederacy clashed several times with the Wolfen, steadily losing ground to the more technologically advanced AWE, especially with the introduction of the first Packmaster carriers.
At the height of its power, the Helmond compromised some 30 systems and was led by an offshoot Elven sept, the Sekosa, who comprised some 74% of the Confederation’s population.
The Helmorid Confederacy would subsequently be conquered by the TransGalactic Empire on its great expansion in the Corkscrew. The Confederacy fell apart as TGE warships flocked into the sectors. Though several members of the Helmorid actively participated in assisting the TGE in the conquest of the AWE, this did little to prevent their states from being disbanded completely by the Kreeghor. The Sekosa fought to the bitter end and were almost entirely wiped out by the TGE, and even to this day, none are allowed unmonitored off their homeworlds, which are under the iron governance of the Kreeghor.
The last known reports of the Helmorid Confederacy was of their insignia being used by several anti-TGE dissident splinter-cells operating in the same sectors as the HC.

Wolfen Independent Khanates
These are some thirty small Wolfen-led politiies that decided against assimilation into the Consortium of Civilized Worlds, though they are nominally allied to them to some degree or other. In fact, some of the Khanates pre-date the fall of the original Wolfen Empire, and had been breakaway colonies that disputed the AWE’s control over them(and would likely have gone to war with it had the AWE not been distracted by the encroachment of the TGE. The Khanates follow the ‘alpha-male/female’ model of pack leadership, though they are not as radicalized as the Dadalane Jihad. The Khanates follow a loose confederation model amongst themselves, offering mutual support, with no one top executive in charge, and the individual khanates pursuing their own interests for the most part.
The Khanates spend as much time squabbling amongst themselves as they do cooperating with each other, sometimes to the point of actual brushwars, though they will unite against a common threat, especially the TGE.
General level of technology is on a par with the second-tier powers of the Three Galaxies, with the average state of the art being three or four generations behind the CCW. The majority of Khanate warships are derivatives of old Wolfen designs for the most part, leavened with ships acquried from other sources.
The WIK has come to loggerheads on several occasions with the Human Alliance, especially with regards to territorial claims in the Thundercloud Galaxy.

Wulfen Independent Packworlds Confederation(Thundercloud)
Gora Sector-based independent Wulfen star polity. Small(9 systems), but stubborn, but having their share of problems dealing with the strangeness and dangers of the Thundercloud. Arguably a bit more mellow in attitude than the Khanates, the Packworlds maintain somewhat closer ties to the Wulfen of the CCW, but still see them as having ‘sold out’ to the promise of security offered by the Consortium.

Albexa Combine(Thundercloud)
A colonial development organization formed by the first settlers in the Thundercloud’s Albexa Territories to control exploitation and settlement of other worlds in the sector. Though they lack the firepower to enforce their decrees, they are recognized by the CCW and Wolfen independent states, and generally respected by anybody who wants to explore or colonize the worlds of the Albexa Territories. The Combine sponsors system and planetary surveys, pays for collected data, and licenses development of approved celestial bodies in the region.

[SolCannibal]

Allied Monstrous Races Association
Not so much an organized polity as a ‘club’ of worlds dominated by ‘monstrous’ species that generally find most other species tasty. Has been variously associated with the Splugorth domains and the Infernals. The AMRA offers various tips on best prospects for conquest and raiding, and their Medical organization issues warnings on possible health hazards(‘Don’t eat the purple-skinned humanoids; they contain dangerous levels of dribazone’). The AMRA are involved in a number of pirate groups dominated by monstrous races.

So, kind of a gastronomic society? Transgalactic to boot i'd guess, considering it specifies no galaxy in particular.

Helmorid Confederacy(Corkscrew Galaxy)(Defunct)
An early opponent of the Ancient Wolfen Empire before the TGE takeover. The Helmorid Confederacy clashed several times with the Wolfen, steadily losing ground to the more technologically advanced AWE, especially with the introduction of the first Packmaster carriers.
At the height of its power, the Helmond compromised some 30 systems and was led by an offshoot Elven sept, the Sekosa, who comprised some 74% of the Confederation’s population.
The Helmorid Confederacy would subsequently be conquered by the TransGalactic Empire on its great expansion in the Corkscrew. The Confederacy fell apart as TGE warships flocked into the sectors. Though several members of the Helmorid actively participated in assisting the TGE in the conquest of the AWE, this did little to prevent their states from being disbanded completely by the Kreeghor. The Sekosa fought to the bitter end and were almost entirely wiped out by the TGE, and even to this day, none are allowed unmonitored off their homeworlds, which are under the iron governance of the Kreeghor.
The last known reports of the Helmorid Confederacy was of their insignia being used by several anti-TGE dissident splinter-cells operating in the same sectors as the HC.

Well, if anything, the mess with the Wolfen Empire and the TGE goes to show they were capable of holding a grudge to a degree of making them utterly blind to the writing in the wall. The TGE's post-war treatment of them (in contrast with the wolfen) and the dissidents bearing insignias of their old polity only reinforces this.

Wolfen Independent Khanates
These are some thirty small Wolfen-led politiies that decided against assimilation into the Consortium of Civilized Worlds, though they are nominally allied to them to some degree or other. In fact, some of the Khanates pre-date the fall of the original Wolfen Empire, and had been breakaway colonies that disputed the AWE’s control over them(and would likely have gone to war with it had the AWE not been distracted by the encroachment of the TGE. The Khanates follow the ‘alpha-male/female’ model of pack leadership, though they are not as radicalized as the Dadalane Jihad. The Khanates follow a loose confederation model amongst themselves, offering mutual support, with no one top executive in charge, and the individual khanates pursuing their own interests for the most part.
The Khanates spend as much time squabbling amongst themselves as they do cooperating with each other, sometimes to the point of actual brushwars, though they will unite against a common threat, especially the TGE.
General level of technology is on a par with the second-tier powers of the Three Galaxies, with the average state of the art being three or four generations behind the CCW. The majority of Khanate warships are derivatives of old Wolfen designs for the most part, leavened with ships acquried from other sources.
The WIK has come to loggerheads on several occasions with the Human Alliance, especially with regards to territorial claims in the Thundercloud Galaxy.

I can see some smarter factions of the Dadalane trying to set up trade arrangements, military exercises and technology exchanges to cement deeper and more solid links with their "cousins" as a way to establish an alliance (and multiply their military power through it) or eventual assimilation of some or all of the Khanates in the long run. Or at least they would, if not for their stupid saber-rattling against non-wolfen star nations with enough allies to bite back....

Wulfen Independent Packworlds Confederation(Thundercloud)
Gora Sector-based independent Wulfen star polity. Small(9 systems), but stubborn, but having their share of problems dealing with the strangeness and dangers of the Thundercloud. Arguably a bit more mellow in attitude than the Khanates, the Packworlds maintain somewhat closer ties to the Wulfen of the CCW, but still see them as having ‘sold out’ to the promise of security offered by the Consortium.

Another group of potentially major interest to the Dadalene. While possibly too soft and xeno-friendly for their tastes, a crisis between the Packworlds and the CCW, specially the Human Alliance could play right into the Jihad's prejudices & warrior-pride culture and be used as a rally call or example of the dangers of mellowing out, pulling any remnants into the Dadalene's sphere of influence along with potentially threatened members of the Khanates.

Albexa Combine(Thundercloud)
A colonial development organization formed by the first settlers in the Thundercloud’s Albexa Territories to control exploitation and settlement of other worlds in the sector. Though they lack the firepower to enforce their decrees, they are recognized by the CCW and Wolfen independent states, and generally respected by anybody who wants to explore or colonize the worlds of the Albexa Territories. The Combine sponsors system and planetary surveys, pays for collected data, and licenses development of approved celestial bodies in the region.

Bothwins without bite, then?

[taalismn]

Albexa Combine(Thundercloud)
A colonial development organization formed by the first settlers in the Thundercloud’s Albexa Territories to control exploitation and settlement of other worlds in the sector. Though they lack the firepower to enforce their decrees, they are recognized by the CCW and Wolfen independent states, and generally respected by anybody who wants to explore or colonize the worlds of the Albexa Territories. The Combine sponsors system and planetary surveys, pays for collected data, and licenses development of approved celestial bodies in the region.

Bothwins without bite, then?

Wannabe real estate moguls. more like. They want to control the development of theri stellar neighborhood so they don't wind up with somebody opening uo a death world or creating a deathworld through some moronic social experiment.

The Network Omni Newsflash story originally introducing them had them sending a rescue expedition to find out the fate of a previous expedition to a prospective wolrd(the first expedition turned out to have starved to death due to a logistics mistake)

[SolCannibal]

Albexa Combine(Thundercloud)
A colonial development organization formed by the first settlers in the Thundercloud’s Albexa Territories to control exploitation and settlement of other worlds in the sector. Though they lack the firepower to enforce their decrees, they are recognized by the CCW and Wolfen independent states, and generally respected by anybody who wants to explore or colonize the worlds of the Albexa Territories. The Combine sponsors system and planetary surveys, pays for collected data, and licenses development of approved celestial bodies in the region.

Bothwins without bite, then?

Wannabe real estate moguls. more like. They want to control the development of theri stellar neighborhood so they don't wind up with somebody opening uo a death world or creating a deathworld through some moronic social experiment.

That can actually be a pretty smart setup with some networking and resources to back it up, setting themselves as consultants and financers for exploration and colonization initiatives in the whole of their sector of Thundercloud and neighboring systems.

[SolCannibal]

Hope you guys don't mind if i try my hand on giving a certain dirtball something like slight update....


Alliance's garrison spacestation in the Vecar VIII system.

"Message from Mestos down below, looks like the team of enviromental specialists on site are having interesting issues."

"The same ones worried about tracking down the origin of the recent rabbits and beavers infestation in the colony, while everybody else was celebrating the new surplus of edible meat, those researchers? What did they find, the secret base of the legendary Moho fruit-stealing pirates?"

"Nope. Apparently, a boom town of about 25.000 unregistered immigrants."

"A what, of how many?! That's about a third of the colony's official populace! How could we miss a town of that size in Mestos?!"

"According to the report, they are dimensional refugees - and were rifted in the middle of the Peat Sea, that is how the locals down in Mestos call the largest swamp of the planet. And considering the place occupies 530,000 km² area, not faulting anyone for the name choice - or missing a town inside it. Damn, you could probably hide the whole NGR there with some room to spare."

"Wait, you said boom town - so i'm guessing from that and those crazy numbers of yours those guys are not the 'pull themselves up by their bootstraps' kind of refugees."

"Yes, they have been developing a whole enclave of 'techno-druids' in the place and would like to negotiate their claim to the Peat Sea instead of fighting for it."

"They actually want to stay in the middle of giant swamp country, seriously?"

"Yes, from their own words, the area has ideal enviromental conditions for the development of 'Green TW' manufactories and 'bog crystal farms' sites."

"They have TW instalations and want to make more?! Ok, that has already gone way above my paygrade - call some some diplomats and military specialists to deal with that, now."

[taalismn]

Hope you guys don't mind if i try my hand on giving a certain dirtball something like slight update....


Alliance's garrison spacestation in the Vecar VIII system.
"They have TW instalations and want to make more?! Ok, that has already gone way above my paygrade - call some some diplomats and military specialists to deal with that, now."

I LIKE it....unexpected and adds a little variety now that the planet's graduated from 'dying backwater' to 'potato beer capital of the Arm". I look forward to seeing if there's more about these newcomers....


Oh, and how could I miss the opportunity to make Mestos Cranberry Capital of the Arm?


And here's a few more agencies and groups for grist:

Breetel Sociological Studies Institute
----Geopolitical cultural investigations and studies group, and consultancy organization. They have been known to advise the CCW and other polities on alien societies and regional hotspots, as with the genocidal war on Tenrodden II. They operate several WZT Piecemeal science ships among other assets.

Ceklestrani
----An Ancient organization that established a network of navigational aide 'space lighthouses' across the Three Galaxies. The network is at least 50,000 years old and 30% of the original stations remain in operation, though automated. Many of their facilities exist in regions of heavily distorted space/time, such as the vicinity of black holes, wormholes, and dimensional rifts. The Prometheans figure prominently in the organization’s history, though they did not directly establish it.
The Ceklestran organization still exists, mainly as an association of retirees( in the 5,000 + year-old range), and younger members mainly concerned with documenting the organization’s long history of service.

Adaptists----
‘Adapt and Occupy’

“As long as there are unclaimed lifeworlds, and easily accessible stardrive to reach them, most cultures will race outwards to claim those new pastures. However, as numerous as those just- and almost-right worlds seem to be, they are finite in number. There are many more desert systems, and we aim to colonize those instead, and avoid the rush later, when the pasture-hunters turn in desperation to more marginal prospects.”

“It is life’s duty, its imperative, to expand and fill every available niche capable of supporting it, even if -adjustments- have to be made to the environment or to life itself.”

The Adaptist movement is a social belief among many in the Human Alliance, and mirrored in many other species, that life, aided by technology, can and should move into all available niches in the universe. Where there is mass and energy, the argument goes, there is an opening for life. Adaptists argue for the settlement of even airless worlds, brute-force using technology to establish habitats. Given enough time and technology, Adaptists contend, intelligent life can adapt and prosper in artificial surroundings of its own design. Though specifics may vary, Adaptism tends to get the largest support from a spacefaring species’ asteroid-mining communities(i.e., ‘Belters’ in Terran common slang), who boast of being able to make do with solar power or water-ice-fed fusion power, artificial gravity, and synthetic foodstuffs. Rather than use FTL to search for ‘just right’ worlds like their birthworlds, that everybody else is also looking for, Adaptists want to move into any place they can tap ambient energy and use local mass to make their own worlds. Lifeless worlds are ideal, because there’s little danger of an existing biological system to compete with, and colonists can thus create new worlds whole cloth from raw materials.
Extreme Adaptism advocates modifying colonists to better fit their extreme environments, at least until they can create more hospitable engoneered environs for their children. The ultra-extremists call for genetically modifying future generations to carry forth the modifications, ultimately becoming new species tailor-made for dwelling in high-gee worlds, acid bogs, permanent micro-gravity, or high radiation.
Adaptism can be seen in gas giant and venus-hell floater cities, sand-world dune communities, asteroid burrows, and dwarf-star colonies. Red Dwarf and White Dwarf stars are favorite sites for Adaptist colonies, as they are weak, radiation-wise, but very long-lived.
The most oft-leveled criticisms of adaptism are that it is overly dependent on technology to survive, and that most adaptist communities have little buffer for error built in. Long term, the engineered environments of adaptist colonies lack potential for evolution, and the long-term biological mutation and robustness inherent in naturally evolved life-worlds.
The major powers of the Three Galaxies generally support Adaptism, but offer no hard support for those who practice it; Adaptism is usually underwritten by the colonists themselves, rather than subsidized by major governents(with the exception of developing strategic resources). The CCW, TGE, and GR iike Adaptism as much as it adds more numbers to their member/subject worlds, and adds to their economies, but most attention is on lifeworlds.
Adaptism is less common/popular in nature-oriented societies such as the bulk of the United Worlds of Warlock, which favors living in harmony with living worlds. However, even there are those who favor using magic, especially Elemental magic, to terraform planets, and biomancy to adapt sentients and other organisms to survive harsh and exotic environments.

Temple of the Unborn Light
(aka ‘Deific Gestaltism’)
A nascent religion combining various elements of other religions, including NeoQuakerism from Rifts Earth, Taoism, and knowledge of Ascended New Gods, the Temple of the Unborn Light contends that if magic is the manifestation of thought using the basic energies of the megaverse, then godhood is a matter of choice and practice. The TUL works on the idea of the consensual creation of deity representing peoples’ hopes, aspirations, and courage. If enough worshippers actively focus on ideal concepts long and hard enough, then their ideal godhead will be created. This idea is gathering attention from many who feel disappointed or anxious about existing gods, and want one that represents their greater society. Reports that the EShemarrians may have spontaneously created such a being heartens many in the TUL community. Some TULists in the United Systems Alliance feel that the USA might be better served by the creation of a truly manifested spirit representing the polity’s ideals, and are working towards that goal.

Trickster Legion
---Mercenary group, infamous for their prank-pulling. You either love them or you hate them. The Trickster Legion has pranked just about every major polity in the Three Galaxies, though their most frequent and viciously-pranked target is the TransGalactic Empire(including the public disgrace of several Invincible Guardsmen). They’ve also earned both the respect and the ire of the Tri-Galactic Military Services and the Trensik for pointing out their security weaknesses, and making them look like chumps in the process. The TL looks, on the surface, to be a fairly low-tech planetary combined-arms merc company, but this has proven to be a disguise for some fairly sophisticated equipment built with the sole aims of simultaneously neutralizing and humiliating targets. The TL is the only organization publically known to employ Techno-Gremlins, though they’re far from being the most unusual or exotic members of the Legion. Rumors that they’ve even pranked cosmoknights are balanced by rumors that members of the Legion ARE cosmoknights...or that several members are Fallen cosmoknights BECAUSE they used their Forge-granted powers to pull pranks(disasterous or simply HUGE-scaled). The Bakalaponans have been trying to get the TL on permanent retainer with them, with the offer of being their gag-workshop.

[SolCannibal]

Hope you guys don't mind if i try my hand on giving a certain dirtball something like slight update....


Alliance's garrison spacestation in the Vecar VIII system.
"They have TW instalations and want to make more?! Ok, that has already gone way above my paygrade - call some some diplomats and military specialists to deal with that, now."

I LIKE it....unexpected and adds a little variety now that the planet's graduated from 'dying backwater' to 'potato beer capital of the Arm". I look forward to seeing if there's more about these newcomers....


Oh, and how could I miss the opportunity to make Mestos Cranberry Capital of the Arm?

Soon, soon.

Ceklestrani
----An Ancient organization that established a network of navigational aide 'space lighthouses' across the Three Galaxies. The network is at least 50,000 years old and 30% of the original stations remain in operation, though automated. Many of their facilities exist in regions of heavily distorted space/time, such as the vicinity of black holes, wormholes, and dimensional rifts. The Prometheans figure prominently in the organization’s history, though they did not directly establish it.
The Ceklestran organization still exists, mainly as an association of retirees (in the 5,000 + year-old range), and younger members mainly concerned with documenting the organization’s long history of service.

That implies a very selective membership indeed, to be able to cover that respectable expected time of service.


And now a little something to thrown a monkeywrench of sorts in the field...

---- Chronometric Contemplators Congression
Rumours have arisen of late that a significant portion of the ancient original stations of the Ceklestran that fell in disrepair and were abandoned through the millenia have been taken over in the last few centuries by this obscure organization, repurposed as monasteries or redoubts. While the Congression claims to be merely a mystic-religious order dedicated to the better understanding and study of space/time in heavily distorted conditions of regions such as the vicinity of black holes, wormholes, and dimensional rifts, there are some agencies, groups and polities that - justifiedly or not, it's hard to say so far - suspect them of being a cartel, coven or paramilitary force of Temporal Raiders and the classes of individuals dedicated to their arcane teachings and fealty. The more cynical commentators also point out one role does not on itself impede the other.
What's an incontrovertible fact is that a number of those forgotten posts in the middle of nowhere garnered some attention of their own as they turned into emergency hideouts, occasional bastions and at times unexpected rally points amidst all the chaotic intergalactic fighting involved in the Forge and Minion Wars.

[taalismn]

[

Ceklestrani
----An Ancient organization that established a network of navigational aide 'space lighthouses' across the Three Galaxies. The network is at least 50,000 years old and 30% of the original stations remain in operation, though automated. Many of their facilities exist in regions of heavily distorted space/time, such as the vicinity of black holes, wormholes, and dimensional rifts. The Prometheans figure prominently in the organization’s history, though they did not directly establish it.
The Ceklestran organization still exists, mainly as an association of retirees (in the 5,000 + year-old range), and younger members mainly concerned with documenting the organization’s long history of service.

That implies a very selective membership indeed, to be able to cover that respectable expected time of service.


And now a little something to thrown a monkeywrench of sorts in the field...

---- Chronometric Contemplators Congression
Rumours have arisen of late that a significant portion of the ancient original stations of the Ceklestran that fell in disrepair and were abandoned through the millenia have been taken over in the last few centuries by this obscure organization, repurposed as monasteries or redoubts. While the Congression claims to be merely a mystic-religious order dedicated to the better understanding and study of space/time in heavily distorted conditions of regions such as the vicinity of black holes, wormholes, and dimensional rifts, there are some agencies, groups and polities that - justifiedly or not, it's hard to say so far - suspect them of being a cartel, coven or paramilitary force of Temporal Raiders and the classes of individuals dedicated to their arcane teachings and fealty. The more cynical commentators also point out one role does not on itself impede the other.
What's an incontrovertible fact is that a number of those forgotten posts in the middle of nowhere garnered some attention of their own as they turned into emergency hideouts, occasional bastions and at times unexpected rally points amidst all the chaotic intergalactic fighting involved in the Forge and Minion Wars.

Well, long-lived species or ones with a knowledge of advanced physics/chronal distortions....There's a lot of relativity-bending superscience involved.

And hey, I love the quick comeback with the use of the abandoned facilities as boltholes(or, if you're using them to ignore the rest of the universe...to borrow a term from Foyle's War...'funkholes'). Adventure hooks? Adventure hooks.

[SolCannibal]

[

Ceklestrani
----An Ancient organization that established a network of navigational aide 'space lighthouses' across the Three Galaxies. The network is at least 50,000 years old and 30% of the original stations remain in operation, though automated. Many of their facilities exist in regions of heavily distorted space/time, such as the vicinity of black holes, wormholes, and dimensional rifts. The Prometheans figure prominently in the organization’s history, though they did not directly establish it.
The Ceklestran organization still exists, mainly as an association of retirees (in the 5,000 + year-old range), and younger members mainly concerned with documenting the organization’s long history of service.

That implies a very selective membership indeed, to be able to cover that respectable expected time of service.


And now a little something to thrown a monkeywrench of sorts in the field...

---- Chronometric Contemplators Congression
Rumours have arisen of late that a significant portion of the ancient original stations of the Ceklestran that fell in disrepair and were abandoned through the millenia have been taken over in the last few centuries by this obscure organization, repurposed as monasteries or redoubts. While the Congression claims to be merely a mystic-religious order dedicated to the better understanding and study of space/time in heavily distorted conditions of regions such as the vicinity of black holes, wormholes, and dimensional rifts, there are some agencies, groups and polities that - justifiedly or not, it's hard to say so far - suspect them of being a cartel, coven or paramilitary force of Temporal Raiders and the classes of individuals dedicated to their arcane teachings and fealty. The more cynical commentators also point out one role does not on itself impede the other.
What's an incontrovertible fact is that a number of those forgotten posts in the middle of nowhere garnered some attention of their own as they turned into emergency hideouts, occasional bastions and at times unexpected rally points amidst all the chaotic intergalactic fighting involved in the Forge and Minion Wars.

Well, long-lived species or ones with a knowledge of advanced physics/chronal distortions....There's a lot of relativity-bending superscience involved.

And hey, I love the quick comeback with the use of the abandoned facilities as boltholes(or, if you're using them to ignore the rest of the universe...to borrow a term from Foyle's War...'funkholes'). Adventure hooks? Adventure hooks.

Temporal Wizards and their ilk. Even if they are in the up and up - and that can be quite debatable considering the beings who serve as tutors to many - having a large organized band of them setting up a bunch autonomous fortifications, where they conduct all kinds of arcane advanced physics/chronal force experiments, with no oversight whatsoever... well, a lot of stellar polities, good, bad and/or ugly, are bound to feel less than enthused at the idea.

[taalismn]

[
Temporal Wizards and their ilk. Even if they are in the up and up - and that can be quite debatable considering the beings who serve as tutors to many - having a large organized band of them setting up a bunch autonomous fortifications, where they conduct all kinds of arcane advanced physics/chronal force experiments, with no oversight whatsoever... well, a lot of stellar polities, good, bad and/or ugly, are bound to feel less than enthused at the idea.

"OH MY GOD! OUR CLOCKS ARE MISSING THIRTY SECONDS! THE TEMPORAL BANDITS HAVE STRUCK AND THE CHRONOCALYPSE HAS BEGUN!!!!"
"Relax, Bob, Sneed was cleaning his EMP gun and accidentally fired off a low powered shot that knocked out the lounge clock until it rebooted. You really need to get a better model with wireless auto-time check."

[taalismn]

Algonian Sector(Thundercloud)
The Algonian Sector of the Thundercloud Galaxy is notably active for the geopolitical turmoil in it. The sector contains the remnants of two would-be galactic empires, the Moredian Imperium and the Alquis Dominion, and is part of the United Systems Alliance expansion zone.
The region first, in recorded histroy, saw the rise of the Morediuan Imperium which atraiined domaination over such native-born local species as the Naibed, before the Imperium flash--panned into an early retirement. Next came a wave of Seljuk settlers, who settled on a number of worlds, and made the region known to the rest of the Three Galaxies(hence the sector’s name), which quickly attracted other settlers, including humans. With the violent collapse of the Alquis Dominion, the region has attracted the attention of the United Systems Alliance, which is picking up the pieces scattered by the Dominion’s policies.

Notable Worlds:
-Moredia---Homeworld of the Vurgash-Tuber. Capital of the rump-state Moredian Imperium
-Alquis VII---Former capital of the Alquis Dominion
-Debran---Co-member of the Alquis Dominion
-Cyvelt---Colonial world and former member of the Alquis Dominion
-Quin’esh---Homeworld of the indigenous Naibead
-Sakasis--- Ogre-Orc colonial world and site of the infamous Sakassian Massacre, now a protectorate of the United Systems Alliance
-Silkra---Colonial world, now a member of the United Systems Alliance
-Socdar--A desert system with a single large industrial space fortress in it, inhabited by a breakaway sect of Vurgash.
-Crosyar---Colonial world, now a member of the United Systems Alliance


Moredian Imperium(Thundercloud)
“The Vurgash may have come from empire-builder stock(or so they claim), but they never showed much endurance for it in their current form. Perhaps it’s a result of their low mutagenic threshold that changed something in them, or perhaps they lost the spark when they fled whatever empire they originated from. The fire of empire just never took hold in them even though they went through the motions; space was somewhere to explore, to sightsee, to plant the flag, but once that was done, the average Vurgash just wanted to go back home, settle back down, and enjoy showing off the home movies. The frontier was somewhere young Vurgash went to prove themselves, make their fortune, then return to the homeworlds to impress the neighbors.”

A small star polity lorded over by the Vurgash, a Tuber-related sophont species with bisonoid mental and physical characteristics..
The Vurgash claim to have descended from extradimensional empire builders who came to the Three Galaxies, either as an expedition to find new territory to explore and conquer, or as refugees from an imperial society, it isn’t clear which. After establishing themselves on their new homestead world of Moredia, they gamely set out to create a zone of influence of their own.
The Imperium would grow to embrace fifteen worlds, including seven already inhabited by other intelligent species. Dominance of these other worlds was relatively bloodless(if still unwelcome) and as Imperial occupiers, the Vurgash were aloof and impartial overlords. The Vurgash could be said to be fair-minded in their treatment of their subject worlds, but unrelenting when passing judgement and deliverig punishment to those who threatened their interests. Surprisingly for a herd-species, the Vurgash tended to single out, assisted by their magic and psioics, individuals for punishment, rather than their societiies, but also made sure to make public examples of those they deemed criimnals. Still, the Moredian demands for stilted trade terms and material tribute did not go over well with theri subjects, and Moredian occupation was generally not welcomed. Adding to this, the Moredian Imperium did little technological improvement of their subject worlds, being largely content to manage their empire from their orbiting starships and space stations. When the Vurgash began pulling out, they typically left little in the way of left-behind technology for the natives to salvage and others to scavenge. The Vurgash in fact seemed to pride themselves on their ‘tread lightly’ policies ad fastidious cleanliness when it came to picking up after themselves.
The Moredian Imperium peaked fast, lasted nearly six hundred years, then started collapsing just as rapidly. The slow-breeding Vurgash never invested their claimed territory with high-density colonies as thoroughly as other species, so their consolidation often involved abandoning many of their worlds and withdrawing back to their core systems, even as another would-be empire, the Alquis Dominion, was beginning to flex its muscles in the sector. Currently, the Vurgash culture seems focused on building mssive arclogy habitat colonies around their coreworlds, and maximizing the use of their core resources, instead of seeking them abroad. The reasons for this change in attitude remain unknown; some xenoanthropologists have speculated that the Vurgash have begun to exhibit another surge in mutation, and the retrenchment of the Imperium is part of a effort to at least slow any future divergence. Other speculation runs the gamut from Imperial whim to just plain rapid-onset empire fatigue and cultural senility.
The Moredian Imperium currently remains a ‘hermit kingdom’ with little contact with outsiders. Those seeking contact with the Vurgash are generally discouraged from doing so by their home systems’ still strong defense forces and orbital fortresses

A. Size
Small; 5 systems(was originally 15, but the Vurgash are in the process of retreat). At one time they claimed to have reached and explored 130 star systems.
B. History
Newcomers, though splinters of a greater Tuber empire in another universe/galaxy.
C. Level of Technological Sophistication
Mature Space Age---The Vurgash possess contragravity and FTL capabilities, but their technological focus seems rather narrow and slow in other fields. Though highly intelligent, they seem possessed of a vey conservativ group/herd-think mentaliy that makes the adaptation of new techologies slow to take up.
D. General Attitude/Culture
Enlightened Imperialists
E. Racial Composition
Vurgash-Tuber---They tended to discourage their satrapy world native subjects from travel or getting involved with the governance of the rest of the Imperium.
F. Government
Monarchy---The Vurgash are ruled by an Imperial Family and aristocractic bloodlines.
G. Administrative Control
Draconian---Though generally fair-minded with their native colonial subjects, the Vurgash still tended to be very strict, even appallingly so with their own people, where the death penalty applies to many crimes, and physical punishment for amny lesser infractions.
H. External Trade
None---The Vurgash never sought to trade wth outsiders, only those within their occupied sphere. The straggler enclaves have started some small varied trade with outsiders, but this is insignificant in overall scale terms.
H1. Commodities
Exports: Manpower---The Vurgash often sent large numbers of their own people out to the frontier to make their fortunes exploiting the locals and wresting wealth from virgin worlds. Many of them did not make it back, despite the Imperium’s advanced technology.
Imports: Raw Materials---- Moredian industry was fed by the offworld mines and farms. The outsider enclaves still continue to send shipments of raw materials, especially ores, to the IMperium coreworlds.
I. Status
Imperiled---The Moredian Imperium is in a state of slow-motion collapse with many of the outlier worlds being abandoned in favor of reverse immigration back to the coreworlds. The latest Emperor, Digish IV, has shown little interest in expanding the Imperium, instead focusing on internal politics. A number of Vurgash enclaves have stayed behind and splt off from the retreating empire, and have even gone so far as to join other polities such as the UWW, CCW, or USA.

Vurgash
“Very intelligent, but also very narrow-minded. Vurgash can be both sharp as a tack and dull as a rock. But give them enough cause and they’ll come after you like a intelligent guided landslide.”

“People think that the Moredian Imperoi’s retreat is a sign that it’s falling apart. I beg to differ with that line of thought. If anything the Imperium’s gotten stronger; their deep space fortresses and system defense monitors enforce the sovereignty of their space to a degree like the security over the Kreeghor throneworld. The Vurgash just seem to want their privacy for whatever, and if you’re smart, you’ll let them be.”

The Vurgash are a Tuber-related sophont species who run the Moredian Imperium, a once powerful sub-polity in the Thundercloud Galaxy, but now a shrinking shell of its former self in recent centuries.
The Tuber(first introduced in TMNT:The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Guide to the Universe) are a family of related races/septs(like Humanity) who have spread far and wide across their galaxy, and, it seems, other universes as well. The Tubers are characterized by possessing a number of tubular pneumatic organs used variously for respiration, temperature management, and communication. The Tubers also exibited a high level of mutagen susceptibility, making for rapid genetic mutation, hence the large number of divergent subsepts that often led to the breakup of the large Tuber empires they tended to found, then lose.
The Vurgash were typical of Tuber splinter-cultures. Arriving in the Thundercloud Galaxy some 5,000 years ago, they built up a techbase workable in the 3G universe, then went exploring, and eventually conquering, by mercantile pressure if not force of arms. Being fairly impressive in their physical traits, Vurgash often physically dominated other species with little effort. They established the Moredian Imperium as their powerbase.
The Moredian Imperium peaked early and declined fast, despite the Vurgashs’ many physical advantages. After five hundred years, internal strain and stutteing economies, it is believed, compounded with growing dissent in the occupied territories, led to the Moredians drastically scaling back and abandoning many(most) of their frontier worlds. Some Vurgash have gone so far as to sell others the Imperium’s files on the various systems they’ve previously explored. The Vurgash now seem more interested in big megaprojects in their home systems, including massive space habitats containing optimized environments for their species. These fortress-habitats are taking up the flow of Vurgash immigrating back into their core star systems.
Former colonial territories of the Moredian Imperium include Quin’esh, homeworld of the Naibead, and now considered the ‘Fireworlks and Explosives Capitol of the Thundercloud.
It’s been (cynically) suggested that the Imperium’s frontier was really meant as a safety valve to relieve population tensions on the homeworlds; enough young and ambitious Vurgash would travel out to the frontier to make their fortunes and prove themselves, and many would get killed in the process. Those too tough to die but too crippled to return home, are often the only remaining Vurgash Imperials in the former colony worlds, eking out livings as technicians and traders.

Alignments: Any
Life Span: 105 years
Size: 22 ft tall, and average 6d6x100 lbs
Gender: Heterosexual. Gestation took 18 months, with the resut being a single offspring(multiple births are exceedingly rare and as such are often regarded with spiritual awe
Physical Description/Appearance:
Heavyset upright bisonoid humanoids with thick stodgy bodies, large heads, and deep, heavy jaws. Their mouths sport several tusks, but what look like horns sproutng from the sides and center-back of their heads are really fleshy tubes that are used to moderate their body heat(but can also be used to generate low subsonic vocallizations). Short thick fur, ruddy in color, covers the shoulders, upper back, and head. Lighter and darker streaks and stripes in the fur are not uncommon and often ethnically-linked. The skin is jet-black, graying with age. Eyes are deepset and range in color from gray to red. Arms are long and lanky, ending in four-fingered hands, while the legs end in fused-toe hooves.
Disposition/Attitudes:
Enlightened Imperialists with a law and order herd mentallity. They are rather conservative in their ways, especially in their ‘hers’m but solitary and ‘outsider’ Vyrgash can be more flexible in their thinking.
Vurgash are fairly tolerant of other sophont species, as long as they do not pose a threat to the Vurgash, but they also do not mix much with other sophonts either. Those seen as physical threats are dealt with mercilessly. Unless somebody has business with a Vurgash, they’re more likely to be ignored. Also, non-Vurgash are almost never put in any sort of position of real authority in a Vurgash organization. Vurgash rarely trust others sufficiently to give them any sort of power over the Vurgash.
This is not true of all Vurgash, of course, and some of the enclaves(and especially merchants) that have not migrated back into the Moredian coreworlds can be downright sociable.
Physical Attributes:
IQ: 3d6+3
ME: 2d6+10
MA: 2d6+8
PS: 5d6+12 and considered Supernatural
PP: 2d6+13
PB: 1d4+2
PE: 3d6+12
SPD: 2d6+5
(ISP): 3d6x10+ M.E. +12 per level of experience
(PPE): 1d6x10+ P.E. + 1d6 per level of experience(or by magic class)
Hit Points: 65 + 1d8 per level of experience
SDC: 130+1d4x10
MDC: Vurgash do not seem to have tripped the threshold into becoming natural supernatural MDC beings; they are megadamage only by technology, magic, or psionics.
Horror Factor: 12
Natural Abilities:
*Hear and Vocalize in the Subsonic Range----Vurgash can speak and hear at audio levels too low for the human ear to fully hear.

*Pheromone Communication---Vurgash also exude various musks that constitute a language all their own. In groups, Vurgash pheromones help stablish mood and dominance(one non-Vurgash described a Moredian political council as ‘reeking to the high heavens’).

Psionics:
Master Psionics; every Vurgash has Master Psionics;
-Mind Block, See Aura, Alter Aura(self), and Meditation
- Choose 3 from each Psionic category(minus Mind-wipe, Psi-Swiord, and Possess Others until 3rd level)
- Choose 2 from each LESSER Psionic category at levels 2, 4, 6, and 10 of experience.
-Choose 1 new Super psionic power at levels 3, 6, 9, and 12 of experience.

Magic:
Vurgash ARE a magic-using culture, and most Vurgash will know a handful of common-domain spells(levels 1-4). More advanced study and specialization has allowed Vurgash Mystics, Shifters, Ley Line Walkers, Conjurors, and Battle Magus. They have reportedly expressed an interest in Technowizardry.

Cybernetics/Bionics:
The Vurgash are body-perfectionists who frown upon implants, even for medical reasons. Only the most desperate or socially-uncaring Vurgash would get cybernetics or bionics, especially partial or full conversion. A Vurgash involuntarily made into a slave-borg will kill themselves given an opportunity.
Available OCCs: Any high-tech professions, minus cybernetics/bionics. Magic-using OCCs include Mystics, Shifters, Ley Line Walkers, Conjurors, and Battle Magus. TechnoWizard is also possible given recent interest in the discipline. Other magic classes are possible, especially among the remaining ‘outsider’ enclaves.
RCC Skills:---
Skills of Note:---
Culture:
Monarchists believing in a stratified society presided over by a hereditary royal head.
Patriarchal, similar to Minotaurs, with an alpha male presiding over an extended family and harem of females. Young male Vurgash are encouraged to seek their fortunes and seek new blood to bring into theri family-herds, while females maintain the home industries and seek to bring in promising males from outside to strengthen the fortunes of the family.
The recent retro-migration of the Vurgash back to their homeworlds and the megaprojects starting there puzzles xenosocologists. The favored theories are that the Vurgash are undergoing a rapid mutation and the Imperial government hopes that consoldiation will prevent a major split in their society, or that the urge to build empires has collectively waned in the Vurgash psyche. Another theory gaining ground is that the psychic Vurgash have foreseen some future threat and are forting up against it. For a time this was thought proven by the Minion War erupting in the Three Galaxies, but the Vurgash continue their retrenchment even as the Infernal presence in the 3G seems to wane. Those Vurgash enclaves not participating in the retreat have not shed any light on this phenomenon.


The Rumor Mill:
-The Vurgash have gotten tired of playing the game of empire and have retreated to their homeworlds to hunker down in the security of luxury habitats equipped with giant virtual reality networks where they’ll while away time in sybaritic pleasure.
-The Vurgash are showing signs of divergent mutation; the habitats are a means of consolidating the species and forcing the Vurgash to breed back towards a more stable norm. Some of the habitats are meant as quarantine communities against more radical mutations.
-As above, but instead of a splintering storm of mutations, the species as a whole(or rather most of them) are changing towards a higher form of life. The Vurgash are ingathering to take part in a mass-Ascension.
-The Vurgash are forting up against a future threat that will threaten the Three Galaxies. The Minion War was just the beginning....
-The Vurgash are about to embark on building dyson spheres or other megastructures around their suns. This effort will require the collective manpower of the species. In the alternative, the Great Work is going to be carried out by a collective pooling of psychic or magical energies.

[SolCannibal]

I tried to search for a write-up on Alquis, found there's none so far, but the original NON newsflash on them from back in '06 has the gist of pretty much everything one needs to know on them i dare say.

Brought it up, along with the two Dominion ex-members gone USA, Crosyar & Silkra, for quick reference for everybody else.

Also....

The Vurgash are a Tuber-related sophont species who run the Moredian Imperium, a once powerful sub-polity in the Thundercloud Galaxy, but now a shrinking shell of its former self in recent centuries.
The Tuber (first introduced in TMNT: Turtles in Space) are a family of related races/septs(like Humanity) who have spread far and wide across their galaxy, and, it seems, other universes as well. The Tubers are characterized by possessing a number of tubular pneumatic organs used variously for respiration, temperature management, and communication. The Tubers also exibited a high level of mutagen susceptibility, making for rapid genetic mutation, hence the large number of divergent subsepts that often led to the breakup of the large Tuber empires they tended to found, then lose.

Where do i find it? No luck finding such a title amidst my old TMNT/AtB books.

[taalismn]

I tried to search for a write-up on Alquis, found there's none so far, but the original NON newsflash on them from back in '06 has the gist of pretty much everything one needs to know on them i dare say.

Brought it up, along with the two Dominion ex-members gone USA, Crosyar & Silkra, for quick reference for everybody else.

Also....

The Vurgash are a Tuber-related sophont species who run the Moredian Imperium, a once powerful sub-polity in the Thundercloud Galaxy, but now a shrinking shell of its former self in recent centuries.
The Tuber (first introduced in TMNT: Turtles in Space) are a family of related races/septs(like Humanity) who have spread far and wide across their galaxy, and, it seems, other universes as well. The Tubers are characterized by possessing a number of tubular pneumatic organs used variously for respiration, temperature management, and communication. The Tubers also exibited a high level of mutagen susceptibility, making for rapid genetic mutation, hence the large number of divergent subsepts that often led to the breakup of the large Tuber empires they tended to found, then lose.

Where do i find it? No luck finding such a title amidst my old TMNT/AtB books.

My bad. The tome in question is The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Guide to the Universe.
There's not much about either the Tubers or the Spinek, which I also make reference to, aside from single paragraph entries about them being ancient empires that splintered due to rampant mutation. I've made mention of the Stinexx being a possible ancient Spinek visitation to the Three Galaxies.
I've also used the Ka'Trib and the Halvesh from the same book, and would love to work in the Uli(?) as possible rifted species.

Alquis and the other worlds mentioned will be covered in detail shortly to give some more depth and grit to the sector.

[SolCannibal]

I tried to search for a write-up on Alquis, found there's none so far, but the original NON newsflash on them from back in '06 has the gist of pretty much everything one needs to know on them i dare say.

Brought it up, along with the two Dominion ex-members gone USA, Crosyar & Silkra, for quick reference for everybody else.

Also....

The Vurgash are a Tuber-related sophont species who run the Moredian Imperium, a once powerful sub-polity in the Thundercloud Galaxy, but now a shrinking shell of its former self in recent centuries.
The Tuber (first introduced in TMNT: Turtles in Space) are a family of related races/septs(like Humanity) who have spread far and wide across their galaxy, and, it seems, other universes as well. The Tubers are characterized by possessing a number of tubular pneumatic organs used variously for respiration, temperature management, and communication. The Tubers also exibited a high level of mutagen susceptibility, making for rapid genetic mutation, hence the large number of divergent subsepts that often led to the breakup of the large Tuber empires they tended to found, then lose.

Where do i find it? No luck finding such a title amidst my old TMNT/AtB books.

My bad. The tome in question is The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Guide to the Universe.
There's not much about either the Tubers or the Spinek, which I also make reference to, aside from single paragraph entries about them being ancient empires that splintered due to rampant mutation. I've made mention of the Stinexx being a possible ancient Spinek visitation to the Three Galaxies.
I've also used the Ka'Trib and the Halvesh from the same book, and would love to work in the Uli(?) as possible rifted species.

Ah, good to know it's that one, time for a bit of rereading. There was a time when i used bits of TMNT's Guide to the Universe mixed with AU:Galaxy Guide in homebrewing my own version of the Milky Way - at least for the "main" HU Earth to cross-over into the Rifts game of my old group.

Alquis and the other worlds mentioned will be covered in detail shortly to give some more depth and grit to the sector.

Hope those old links help a little with crossreferencing things for updates on the Alquis.

[taalismn]

Well, I rather liked the idea of species whose genome became so protean over time that their descendants are hardly recognizable...so you can have Ancient races hiding in plain sight...either devolved to primitive state or simply warped into new forms.
And given there's a CrossDimensional TMNT, the Tubers and Spinek very well could have developed inter dimensional travel and gone exploring, or came across natural rifts.

[SolCannibal]

Well, I rather liked the idea of species whose genome became so protean over time that their descendants are hardly recognizable...so you can have Ancient races hiding in plain sight...either devolved to primitive state or simply warped into new forms.
And given there's a CrossDimensional TMNT, the Tubers and Spinek very well could have developed inter dimensional travel and gone exploring, or came across natural rifts.

Transdimensional Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, if you pardon my being a little pedantic.

But i agree that awareness of natural occuring rifts can go a long way toward allowing the dispersal of any of a number of races ancient or not across the multitude of worlds, star systems, galaxies and universes that compose the Megaverse, even without the actual development of interdimensional travel methods, magical or not, by those civilizations.


Also, variant groups of better known races can sometimes be found in the most unexpected of places - imagine my surprise upon reading 1st ed Beyond the Supernatural description of Gargoyles that, where they are divided into Gurgoyles, Gargoyles and Gargoyle Lords, no Gargoylites or Gargoyle Mages.

....Except Gargoyle Lords are described as - admitedly of low (1-4) level - but full-on magicians, what makes those "Gargoyle Lords" closer to Gargoyle Mages, though even more versatile.

They also lack the turn invisible at will, teleport self twice daily, & fire breath once per melee natural abilities of Lords and Mages as presented in the Conversion Book.

Overall, a very unexpected and welcome surprise indeed. I think there might be some minor discrepancies between the PF & CB/WB5 versions, but in that case they seem to more from editing issues (which subtypes have or not see the invisible, fire breath & other specific natural abilities) than something as notable as the case described above. Or maybe the universality of See the Invisible ties in with PF's Gargoyles being natives from Hades in particular.

Either way going through the books of the multiple settings and maybe use the discrepancies as a starting point for making septs or subspecies could be fun for certain.

[taalismn]

Either way going through the books of the multiple settings and maybe use the discrepancies as a starting point for making septs or subspecies could be fun for certain.

Oh yeah...since we bought the books, may as well make thorough use of "a Megaverse of ideas".

[SolCannibal]

Either way going through the books of the multiple settings and maybe use the discrepancies as a starting point for making septs or subspecies could be fun for certain.

Oh yeah...since we bought the books, may as well make thorough use of "a Megaverse of ideas".

Indeed.

Do you know of any books or Rifters discussing Warlocks/Elemental fusionists construction or magical object-building capabilities?
Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best ones....

[taalismn]

[

Do you know of any books or Rifters discussing Warlocks/Elemental fusionists construction or magical object-building capabilities?
Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best ones....

Mope. I'm still trying to dope out playable Alchemist and True Golemancer OCCs.

[taalismn]

Socdar----Freespace Vurgash Space Habitat(Elnah System, Algonian Sector, Thundercloud Galaxy)

“The Socdar-VVurgash shave and dye their body fur in far more intricate zigzag patterns than other Vurgash communities, but unless you have experience dealing with the Vurgash as a whole, it’s rather difficult to tell the difference between the Moredians and the Socdars. The Socdars are just as ornery and hard to budge on matters as the old Imperials. They;re just as well armed too. ”

“It’s claimed that Socdar isn’t a military base, but its ‘industrial lasers’ can burn an asteroid to vapor several thousand miles away, or pel the armor off a warship at a few miles less. Then there’s the gigaton-yield ‘mining explosives’ tipping the ‘probe rockets’-”

Socdar is one of the few Moredian Imperium orbital fortresses remaining intact and operational outside the Imperium’s coreworlds. The Vurgash tended to be very thorough about pulling anything of value out of their installations and destroying anything of use when they were withdrawing from their frontier, so Socdar is an exception. This is because of several factors. It is in a desert system with no lifeworlds, it isn’t near any hyperlanes of importance, and it is home to a large enclave of dissident Vurgash who have decided to stay behind and on the ‘outside’ of the Imperium’s shrinking borders.
Socdar resembles a giant metal walnut, with multiple bays and factory vents nestled in the outer shell ‘wrinkles’. It is attached to a massive array of giant free-space solar mirrors/photoelectric collectors that face the system’s binary stars. Some 160,000 Vurgash call Socdar their home, and they make a living harvesting the resources of the Elnah system.
It is unclear why the inhabitants of Socdar decided to split from mainstream Virgash society, as the Socdar-VVurgash are not very forthcoming with outsiders about the workings of their culture. Nor is it entirely clear why such a large industrial complex was established by the Imperium in such an out of the way place(at least for the Imperium) in the first place. It has been speculated that the Moredians were anticipating a second wave of expansion and that Socdar was part of a planned network of support stations that would supply that expansion with ships and armaments. When, for whatever reason, the Imperium began its staged withdrawal from its frontier, Socdar was repurposed as a haven for Vurgash dissidents.
The Socdar-VVurgash can be considered to be self-sufficient. They allow a little outside trade and business, but by and large they keep to themselves. They produce and sell refined ores , superconductors, and heavy machinery parts on occasion when dealing with outsiders or goods and services they do not prduce domestically, but their industrial potential lis largely untapped. hey produce their own weaponry and non-FTL spacecraft, but either can’t or don’t produce FTL drive starships.

Size:
Large Station, roughly 11 miles long along its long axis, and 7 miles wide, though it still has a ways to reach its full capacity, both population-wise and production output-wise. 160,000 Vurgash residents +7,000 transients.
The accompanying solar arrays are each 6 miles across and have 50,000 MDC each. There are twelve of them.
Function:
Industrial, but has been repurposed into a Colony
Power Systems:
Fusion and Solar----Socdar uses Helium-3 skimmed from gas giant Liot
Defenses:
Heavily armed and armored, like all Moredian Imperium orbital habitats. It has roughly 10 million MDC, a powerful shield system( 4 million MDC) , long range missile launchers(volleys of up to fifty at a time), and heavy cannons ( 16/ 16,000 mile range, 2d4x1,000 MD per shot)protecting it. Socdar also maintains a small fleet of gunships and armed transports as system patrol/defense craft. Of course, it’s also rumored that the Vurgash military possesses psionic weaponry that can reach through shields and crush brains, but that remains unconfirmed.
Sensors:
Superior Sensors w/ 4 light year FTL detection range+Sensor buoys scattered throughout the system
Communications:
Advanced. The Socdar-VVurgash have shown no signs of utilizing FTL radio, though whether this is because they don’t possess the technology or simply don’t use it remains unknown.
Station Maintenance:
Top Priority---The Socdar-VVurgash residents practice constant readiness drills and repair any damage within minutes of detection. Given that the station is the only home many of them have ever known, their zeal is understandable.
Supplies:
Self-Sufficient, bordering on Super. The Elnah system supplies what extra materials the inhabitants need.
Internal Security Personnel:
Station Militia, with ‘flying squads’ of elite defense personnel. Also Magic/Psychic, given the dual nature of the Vurgash.
Security Systems:
MaximumSecurity Systems, plus some Magic systems/wards
Medical Facilities:
Advanced Tech Hospital with Magic/Psychic Healing
Environmental Systems:
Advanced----The Socdar-VVurgash have demonstrated that they can set up secial emergency environments for distressed outsiders.
Independent Businesses:
The Socdar-VVurgash permit a handful of outsider businesses to set up shop aboard the station. These businesses(and their operators) are segregated in an ‘outsider sector’ that doesn’t mix much with the general Vurgash population. Non-Vurgash residents of Socdar tell of fees for doing business, and a profit margin that encourages staying but discourages expansion.
Notable on-station businesses include a Reddiware franchise(sells and services produce-on-demand general products minifactories), a general spacecraft wares store, a salvage thrift shop, Zoba’s(a Golgan fusion cuisine restaurant run by a rather insane and non-Bakalaponan Golgan), and Pendagon’s Personal Protection Emporium(an armor and weapons dealer that sells a variety of makes of body armor, ancient-style weapons, and a few modern firearms. The proprietor is a good-natured alien of unknown species whose easygoing nature is only marred by a berserk refusal to deal in or even speak of Naruni Enterprises).
Transients:
The Socdar-VVurgash allow others to use their station facilities, including the odd itinerant Vurgash freetrader, though Socdar has no meaningful treaties, communications, or trade of any significance with other Vurgash enclaves.


Solar System(Elnah)
Number of Stars: 2
Types of Stars:
- Blue Dwarf(Elnah-A)
- Yellow Dwarf(Elnah-B)
Number of Planets: 3
-Asteroid(Pentos)---More of a dwarf planet, Pentos’ orbit around Elnah-A and -B exposes it to deadly levels of radiation. As such it only hosts an automated and heavily-shielded solar observatory that monitors both stars’ solar weather.

-Gas Giant(Liot)---Huge gas giant. Its five moons are mined for materials and its atmsphere is used as a fuel source by the Socdar-VVurgash.

-Terrestrial(Elnaf)----Elnaf is a huge rocky planet on the outskirts of the Elnah system. Unusually, Elnaf is in the process of breaking up, though the reasons for this are unkown, owing to the Socdar-VVurgash warning all others away from the ‘navigational hazard’. The planet’s atmosphere is geysering into space, and huge continent-sized chunks of the crust are flaking off, exposing the boiling-hot mantle. Among outsiders, various theories for Elnaf’s slow motion destruction include a micro-black hole(long range gravitic scans have proven inconclusive), harmonic dissonance, Ancient technology run rampant, or Socdar-VVurgash antimatter or gestaltic telekinesis. Other rumors point the blame at an abreaction of planetary chemistry, with various long range spectrographic scans showing(depending on who one asks) tantalizing hints of psylite, xanthine, gantrium, cold-fusion diamonds, solanium, and/or corescite. The Socdar-VVurgash are saying nothing about any cause for Elnaf’s disintegration, only that they maintain a wide security cordon around the planet, but also seem to be harvesting the ejecta.

[SolCannibal]

Socdar----Freespace Vurgash Space Habitat(Elnah System, Algonian Sector, Thundercloud Galaxy)

“The Socdar-VVurgash shave and dye their body fur in far more intricate zigzag patterns than other Vurgash communities, but unless you have experience dealing with the Vurgash as a whole, it’s rather difficult to tell the difference between the Moredians and the Socdars. The Socdars are just as ornery and hard to budge on matters as the old Imperials. They;re just as well armed too. ”

“It’s claimed that Socdar isn’t a military base, but its ‘industrial lasers’ can burn an asteroid to vapor several thousand miles away, or pel the armor off a warship at a few miles less. Then there’s the gigaton-yield ‘mining explosives’ tipping the ‘probe rockets’-”

Socdar is one of the few Moredian Imperium orbital fortresses remaining intact and operational outside the Imperium’s coreworlds. The Vurgash tended to be very thorough about pulling anything of value out of their installations and destroying anything of use when they were withdrawing from their frontier, so Socdar is an exception. This is because of several factors. It is in a desert system with no lifeworlds, it isn’t near any hyperlanes of importance, and it is home to a large enclave of dissident Vurgash who have decided to stay behind and on the ‘outside’ of the Imperium’s shrinking borders.
Socdar resembles a giant metal walnut, with multiple bays and factory vents nestled in the outer shell ‘wrinkles’. It is attached to a massive array of giant free-space solar mirrors/photoelectric collectors that face the system’s binary stars. Some 160,000 Vurgash call Socdar their home, and they make a living harvesting the resources of the Elnah system.
It is unclear why the inhabitants of Socdar decided to split from mainstream Virgash society, as the Socdar-VVurgash are not very forthcoming with outsiders about the workings of their culture. Nor is it entirely clear why such a large industrial complex was established by the Imperium in such an out of the way place(at least for the Imperium) in the first place. It has been speculated that the Moredians were anticipating a second wave of expansion and that Socdar was part of a planned network of support stations that would supply that expansion with ships and armaments. When, for whatever reason, the Imperium began its staged withdrawal from its frontier, Socdar was repurposed as a haven for Vurgash dissidents.
The Socdar-Vurgash can be considered to be self-sufficient. They allow a little outside trade and business, but by and large they keep to themselves. They produce and sell refined ores, superconductors, and heavy machinery parts on occasion when dealing with outsiders or goods and services they do not produce domestically, but their industrial potential lies largely untapped. They produce their own weaponry and non-FTL spacecraft, but either can’t or don’t produce FTL drive starships.

So kind of a belter enclave gone big & legit kind of place, but with some of the "why the heck are they going at things like that anyway" socio-political abstruseness that seems to be the norm of dealings with the Vurgash going on.

It does beggar the question of what attracted them to exploring a desert binary dwarf star system with no lifeworlds of its own and that isn’t near any hyperlanes of importance - and make expand to the point of a large local enclave forming on it. There seems to quite the paucity of dots to connect in making a comprehensible image of the situation.

First one probably is "why splinter in the first place if they seem to be just as insular and not all that different from the moredians?" - truth be told, living in a large space habitat is not even unusual for them in the current trend toward optimizing their core systems to make room to all returned colonials and their descendants.

Supposing they really are a splinter sept and not some sort of garrison or expat community dedicated to collecting, guarding or observing something in the system for reasons known only to the locals. Wouldn't be surprising considering how tight-lipped Vurgash seem to be with outsiders in general.

[taalismn]

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Supposing they really are a splinter sept and not some sort of garrison or expat community dedicated to collecting, guarding or observing something in the system for reasons known only to the locals. Wouldn't be surprising considering how tight-lipped Vurgash seem to be with outsiders in general.

Indeed, the differences could be as great as a greater connection to magic energies, a secret government project, or as mundane as they favor eating their main meals with the spork from the right side of the plate. Keeps that aura of ALIENESS and mystery about them.